The greatest or most extreme extent, degree, or amount possible. As a noun, it refers to the maximum effort or capacity one can give.
From Old English 'ūtemest', meaning 'outermost' or 'farthest out', composed of 'ūt' (out) + '-mest' (superlative suffix). The meaning evolved from physical distance to abstract concepts of degree and effort by the 14th century.
The word 'utmost' beautifully demonstrates how English transforms spatial concepts into abstract ones - what started as meaning 'farthest out' now describes the limits of human effort and capability. It's fascinating that we still use this ancient spatial metaphor when we say someone gave their 'utmost' effort.
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